Abdominal MR imaging with a volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination

PURPOSE: To compare a T1-weighted, three-dimensional (3D), gradient-echo (G RE) sequence for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the body (volumetric in terpolated breath-hold examination, or VIBE) with a two-dimensional (2D) GR E breath-hold equivalent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients underwent 1.5-MR imaging . The examinations included pre- and postcontrast (20 mL gadopentetate dime glumine) fat-saturated 2D GRE breath-hold imaging and fat-saturated volumet ric interpolated breath-hold imaging before, during (arterial phase), and a fter injection, with thin (2-mm source images) and thick (8-mm reconstructi on images) sections. The three images were compared qualitatively and quant itatively (signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] and contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR]). RESULTS: Qualitatively, the 2-mm source images had poorer pancreatic edge d efinition on precontrast images compared with the other two data sets (P < .05). On gadolinium-enhanced images, scores for clarity of pancreatic edge, number of vessels visualized, and arterial ghosting were significantly low er for the postcontrast 2D GRE images. Quantitatively, SNR measurements in the liver, aorta, and renal cortex on pre- and postcontrast images were sig nificantly higher for the 8-mm reconstruction images than for the 2D GRE or 2-mm source images (P < .05). Aorta-to-fat CNR was significantly higher on the 8-mm reconstruction images. CONCLUSION: Fat-saturated volumetric interpolated breath-hold images have q uality comparable to that of conventional fat-saturated 2D GRE images.